Marmol booed all the way to New York

July 14, 2008|PAUL SULLIVAN Chicago Tribune

CHICAGO -- Manager Lou Piniella, trainer Yoshi Nakazawa and eight Cubs All-Stars left for New York after Sunday's game at Wrigley Field. According to pitcher Ryan Dempster, they decided to take the road less traveled on their way to the Midsummer Classic. "We're going by hot-air balloon," Dempster said. The Cubs got an extra passenger for the long balloon ride when reliever Carlos Marmol learned Sunday morning he would replace Kerry Wood on the National League squad. Wood was ruled out because of a blister on his right index finger. Despite having a 9.37 ERA since June 1 and blowing a five-run lead and getting booed off the mound in the ninth inning Saturday, Marmol was next in line to replace an injured player because of voting by NL players last month. Marmol's confidence was suddenly back after he heard the news. "I'm excited," he said. "When you're there, you think you're an All-Star." The Cubs were happy for Marmol, who has taken a beating from some of the same fans who earlier wanted him to replace Wood as the closer. "Look at him," Piniella said as Marmol beamed in the clubhouse. "I think it will be good for him. Good for his confidence, good for his psyche. You know, outside of a couple of bad performances, for the most part he's been nails. I'm happy for him, and it's deserved." Piniella joked that he would serve as the "leisure coach" for the NL. But he'll actually be the de-facto bench coach for manager Clint Hurdle, helping make decisions. Piniella hedged when asked if he wanted to see Marmol get in the game. Before the announcement, he had said Marmol needed a nice rest during the All-Star break. "We'll see," Piniella said. "Hurdle will make that decision, as far as getting him in the game or not. But the experience will be great for him. He's happy, and we're happy for him." Whether Marmol gets into the game is irrelevant. After Saturday's poor outing and the harsh reaction by fans, he suddenly had a new outlook on life. "It's changed my mind so much," he said. "I already forgot about (Saturday)."